A CARE assistant has been sacked for feeding dog biscuits to an old folks’ home resident.

The woman employee played the cruel prank on the man, who is in his 80s and has severe dementia, during a leaving party for a member of staff, according to insiders.

She was sacked by bosses at the BUPA-run Kirknowe home in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, when the humiliating incident was reported to them.

A source at the home who saw the incident said yesterday other staff members had been shocked by the care assistant’s abusive behaviour.

The dog biscuits are sold as a dietary supplement for pets and are not fit for human consumption.

The insider said: “There were staff in to say goodbye to the member of staff who was leaving and they brought their dogs in with them.

“One of the residents kept dog biscuits for anyone visiting with a dog, so she had a few with her that she was wanting to give the visiting dogs as a treat.

“The member of staff in question then gave a resident a biscuit – which quite a few staff didn’t find amusing.

“She said to the resident, ‘Here’s a dog biscuit’ but he took it and ate it.

“The man wouldn’t have known what he was eating as his dementia is very severe. It’s a disgusting thing to do. Feeding a man in his late 80s dog biscuits is abuse.

“It’s appalling abuse and it’s utterly sickening to even think about it. ”

Yesterday, BUPA confirmed the incident, which was exposed by the Wishaw Press, part of the Record’s Media Scotland group.

But they said dogs were on the premises on the day – September 9 last year – for a therapy session for patients involving contact with animals.

Kenny Valentine, BUPA care services director for Scotland, said: “This was a very unfortunate but isolated incident. We launched an investigation and the member of staff was dismissed. We apologised to residents and their relatives at the time.”

The scandal is the second in a week to hit the Kirknowe home.

Last week, it emerged a staff nurse had been suspended after injecting Rose Plunkett, 69, who has since died, with an implant to tackle prostate cancer instead of a dementia drug.

The mistake, which bosses say did not contribute to Rose’s death, was also revealed by the Wishaw Press.